Clipso USA creates environmental impact
By Abbie Yarger
“Whether it is the commercial specifier or consumer, everyone is of a mindset to want to feel good in his or her environment,” says Jeff Dordick, director of sales for Clipso USA in Dresher, Pa. “I call it the ‘comfort factor.’”
Clipso Group, comprised of six different companies with offices around the world, provides wide-width knitted fabrics designed for ceiling and wall coverings to the digital printing and interior décor sectors. In 1997, founder Bernard Geis patented Clipso Technical Fabrics. Geis and wife, Catherine, partnered with nephew Dorian Lynch-Geis, who became director of Clipso USA, to bring products to North and South America.
The Clipso Print® line includes print, translucent and acoustic fabrics for digital printing applications in the education, health care, corporate and residential markets. Translucent fabric can be backlit, while acoustic fabric reduces noise in loud spaces. Each fabric features a patented polyester fabric weave and a polyurethane coating blended with a fire-retardant additive to give the fabrics a Class A fire rating. The coating prevents the fabrics from absorbing moisture. “The inks lay on top of the fabric as an artist’s paint would on a natural canvas,” Dordick says.
In addition to manufacturing fabrics, Clipso offers digital printing services and often creates digital reproductions of original artwork. The company recently received a request from a hospital to create a 12½-foot by 27-foot replica of a small painting to display in the lobby. The Clipso team carefully sized and scaled the image to prevent distortion. An artist commissioned by the customer to assist with the reproduction viewed the digital file at the Clipso printing facility. Using an entire roll of fabric, the team worked with the artist to match the colors to the original. “You really can’t get any closer than that,” Dordick says.
While creating atmosphere for customers, Clipso is conscientious of its impact on the environment. The company’s manufacturing operation, located in France, does not produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and uses energy-efficient UV heaters. All Clipso fabrics are made from PVC-free raw materials. Designed for long-term use, they are fully recyclable and meet Oeko-Tex Standard 100.
But what Dordick enjoys most about working in digital printing is the fun environment. “You should like what you do for a living,” he says. “We are selling a decorative product that allows the owner to put their signature on their building and to enjoy their environment for years to come.
